Russell Sanchez

Russell Sanchez (b. 1963) continues to be one of the master innovators in Pueblo pottery. Each piece he creates is perfectly hand-coiled, stone polished, then etched, inlaid, designed, and fired with utilizing traditional Native American pottery methods. Russell learned to make pottery from his great-aunt, noted potter and pottery matriarch Rose Gonzales (1900-1989.) He started making pottery at the early age of 12 years old on the San Ildefonso Pueblo.
Russell has received numerous awards and recognition for his pottery throughout his career. Including such distinctions as 'Best of Division' at both the Santa Fe Indian Market and the Heard Indian Market. In 2007 Russell's art was presented in the feature article of the Fall issue of Native People's Magazine. In 2011, Russell was awarded the exclusive 'Tony Da Award' for Pottery in Santa Fe. Most recently, Russell was a recipient of the 'New Mexico Governor's Award for Excellence in Art 2017.'

This is a stunning new jar by Russell Sanchez. He continues to be one of the true innovators in Pueblo pottery. Each piece is perfectly coil built, stone polished and etched. This jar is a rounded shape with a short neck. The jar has three medallions, each is polished with a white clay slip. The animals are a bear, mountain lion, and deer. They are each inset with a piece of Lone Mountain Turquoise. The medallions are surrounded by a band of checkerboard polished red and matte designs. The area surrounding the full medallions is a polished black clay slip. There are old style bird wing patterns separating each of the medallions around the shoulder. As if that isn’t enough, the inside of the neck is carved with ribs to create a “waterfall rim”! It is then fully polished red all the way to the inside base of the neck of the jar! The piece is traditionally fired. The hematite hei-shi beads are inset after the firing. The coloration of the white, black and red are all reminiscent of San Ildefonso pottery from the early 1900’s. Russell has created his own variation using polished surfaces instead of matte. As Russell continues to innovate from historic designs, he says, “Tradition means moving forward and adding to it. You keep moving forward. If we stayed stagnant we would no longer exist.” The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay. It is exciting to see how this imagery is not new but Russell’s reinterpretation of it both modernizes and revives.

This is a very intricately designed bowl by Russell Sanchez. The rim is polished with mica to create a very high sheen. The sides are etched with a classic triangular cloud design. The “op-art” appearance of the row and angles of the design on a round surface are striking. As well, the highly polished surface add to the impact of the light reflecting off the sides of the bowl. There are two medallions, each highly polished. They are each incised (before firing!) with two very intricately designed San Ildefonso birds. Note the use of the same triangular design in both of the birds! The medallions are surrounded by two bands of hematite hei-shi beads. They are nearly silver in coloration and complement the metallic appearance of the bowl after the firing. It has a gunmetal metallic shine. This is one of those pieces that is not only visually impressive, but there is a tactile aspect. Where one might expect the mica to have texture, it is so highly burnished it is perfectly smooth! The bowl is signed on the bottom in the clay, ‘Russell”.

Russell Sanchez continues to be one of the true innovators in Pueblo pottery. Each piece is perfectly coil built, stone polished and etched. This is a small polychrome bowl with a flower and seed design. The top is etched with the round flower petals and the sides have a seed design. At the top of the petal designs, Russell has painted hatchwork patterns in black and red. There is an asymmetry to them which is intentional, harkening to the early work of potters like Florentino Martinez, who often used hatchwork patterns in his polychrome pottery. The bowl has a red polished neck. There is a band if hematite hei-shi beads along with inset hematite stones. As Russell continues to innovate from historic designs, he says, “Tradition means moving forward and adding to it. You keep moving forward. If we stayed stagnant we would no longer exist.” The bowl is signed on the bottom in the clay. It is exciting to see how this imagery is not new but Russell’s reinterpretation of it both modernizes and revives.

This is a very creative box by Russell Sanchez. His recent work is a modern take on historic San Ildefonso pottery. This box is etched with five horizontal bands which alternate between matte and polished areas. Believe it or not this is very difficult to carve the horizontal lines into the clay and have them all turn out even! Then there are is the checkerboard pattern. If you take a closer look you will see that they alternate from polished in one row to matte in the next! Again, scan in on the photos and check out the precision of the etching on this piece. It is amazing! Separating each of the five bands of checkerboard are six bands of hematite hei-shi beads, which give the piece a very modernist appearance. As for the lid, the bear is very sculptural and it is fully polished while the remainder of the lid is rounded and slipped with mica. This may seem to be a simple design at first glance and yet it is one of the more precision challenging pieces Russell makes, any line was not perfectly even would throw off the design. The jar and the lid are both signed on the bottom in the clay. In terms of the round shape, it is a style of box seen at San Ildefonso in the 1920’s. I included a photo of Maria Martinez round box from around 1924-5. This jar is a wonderful revival of a historic shape!

This is a stunning gunmetal fired box by Russell Sanchez. The shape is inspired by the historic San Ildefonso boxes from the 1920’s. The box is fully polished and fired a gunmetal coloration. On two of the sides, there are mountain lions etched away. Each mountain lion has an inset piece of Lone Mountain Turquoise. On the ends are mountain designs with inset hematite beads. Around the base are two bands of hematite hei-shi beads. The surround a checkerboard band which is matte and mica slipped. The lid is a mountain lion lying down and it is fully polished while the base of the lid is mica. The style of the mountain lion is reminiscent of the stone mountain lions in Bandolier (see last photo). Russell says here that the mountain lions represent the twin war gods who protect the village. The box has both a striking historic appearance and a contemporary feel. The box is signed on the bottom, as is the lid.

Russell Sanchez continues to be one of the true innovators in Pueblo pottery. Each piece is perfectly coil built, stone polished and etched. This large bear is one of his classic shapes. The piece is coil built and then stone polished a deep red. The designs on the front are the rain and summer and the back are snow and winter. Note the variation in the heartline which is a series of dots which flow around the surface. The heartline which extends out from the mouth of the bear. The bear is a symbol of strength and the heartline is a traditional image used to symbolize the heart as the center of power in the animal. The inside of the legs is polished black. The band across the back of the bear has five rows of square hematite and two rows of turquoise. On the back of the bear are two pieces of Lone Mountain Turquoise. It is not often that he creates such a large piece and the result is quite stunning. It is signed on the bottom in the clay.

Russell Sanchez continues to be one of the true innovators in Pueblo pottery. Each piece is perfectly coil built, stone polished and etched. This box is one of his first incorporating a polished white clay slip! The white is the same white clay used on historic San Ildefonso polychrome pottery when it was stone polished. This piece has a culturally inspired shape and design. The shape is from the traditional “corn meal” boxes, which were used to hold corn meal during Pueblo events. The raised or step area is a mountain. This box has two old style snakes surrounding it on three sides. They are slipped with red an black clay. On the back side is a Sun Katsina design. Again, etched into the clay and slipped with red and black clay slips along with the white clay. Below the central design is a row of checkerboard polished black and matte. The bottom band of design is separated by two inset bands of hematite hei-shi beads. Not as if this box doesn’t have a lot going on, but check out the inside, which is highly polished black! There is a band of turquoise beads separating the black from the red. Simply spectacular! As Russell continues to innovate from historic designs, he says, “Tradition means moving forward and adding to it. You keep moving forward. If we stayed stagnant we would no longer exist.” The box is signed on the bottom in the clay. The last two photos are the box next to a San Ildefonso polychrome cornmeal box from the early 1900’s, for a comparison of this historic shape and polychrome coloration. It is exciting to see how this imagery is not new but Russell’s reinterpretation of it both modernizes and revives.

This is a creative bowl by Russell Sanchez. He continues to be one of the true innovators in Pueblo pottery. Each piece is perfectly coil built, stone polished and etched. This piece is a round bowl and has 20 circles carved into the clay. Each is stone polished and they are separated by a mica slip. The contrast of the polished and micaceous matte surfaces are striking. Each of the circles is surrounded by a band of hematite hei-shi beads. So, why hematite? Russell has begun to use it on his recent pieces for several reasons. There is a traditional aspect in that women wear hematite bracelets when they do certain traditional dances at the Pueblo. There is also hematite content in the clay slips use on the pottery. The lid is a fully polished bear which is created with one paw raised. There is a wonderful sculptural aspect to the bear! The piece is fired to a near gunmetal appearance which is striking with the high polish. It is signed on the bottom in the clay.

This is an exceptional lidded water jar by Russell Sanchez. He continues to be one of the true innovators in Pueblo pottery. Each piece is perfectly coil built, stone polished and etched. This jar is a classic early San Ildefonso shape with a round shoulder, sloping sides and a turned out neck. The base is polished black and the shoulder is polished a deep red. It is painted “black-on-red” around the shoulder. The main design area is polished with a cream-colored clay slip. There are two large birds etched into the clay and they are separated by two sun designs. Each of the design areas is highlighted with additional black and red clay slips. The neck is etched with a mountain design and finally, the rim is polished a deep red. The complementary colors and the variations of polished and matte areas on the jar are stunning! There is wonderful detail throughout the entire piece. The lid is fascinating, as the style is one found on some of the earliest San Ildefonso lidded pieces from the 1880’s. The top half of the lid is polished black while the border is polished with the cream colored clay. The jar has five bands of jet (black) hei-shi beads. As Russell continues to innovate from historic designs, he says, “Tradition means moving forward and adding to it. You keep moving forward. If we stayed stagnant we would no longer exist.” The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay. The last photo is an example of this style of lid on an early San Ildefonso polychrome jar. It is exciting to see how this imagery is not new but Russell’s reinterpretation of it both modernizes and revives.

Russell Sanchez continues to be one of the true innovators in Pueblo pottery. Each piece is perfectly coil built, stone polished and etched. This bear is one of his classic shapes. This bear is polished with a deep red clay slip. The front has a sun pattern with a black mica clay line design in the center. The sun pattern is one that is inspired by the early pottery of Tonita Roybal. The black of the bear has a black matte section along with a traditional San Ildefonso rain design. The bear has a heartline which is etched into the clay. The heartline which extends out from the mouth of the bear. The bear is a symbol of strength and the heartline is a traditional image used to symbolize the heart as the center of power in the animal. The eyes are turquoise. The bear is hollow as the piece is coil built. It is signed on the bottom in the clay.

This is wedding vase by Russell Sanchez incorporates three different colors of clay. The top half is a lighter red clay, while the center band has a black clay slip. The bottom of the vase is a deep red. The wedding vase is etched with a sun designs extending down towards the base. Note that one side has a checkerboard pattern etched into the clay while the opposite has dots. Russell has been taking inspiration from the work of early San Ildefonso potters Tonita Roybal and Florentino Montoya for his designs. They are not copied but his own interpretation and revival of these creative designs. The shape of the wedding vase is elegant with a strong proportion between the shoulder and the spouts. Wedding vases are considered difficult to polish as the handles and spouts create unusual angles and directions in which the piece must be turned. It was traditionally fired and after the firing Russell inset two bands of jet hei-shi beads. The vase is signed on the bottom in the clay. Once again Russell deftly revives historic San Idlefonso designs and stories and uses them for his own contemporary work.

This is an exceptional revival of a historic shape by Russell Sanchez. The shape of the jar is a “double lobe”. It is technically difficult to make as the coiling has to round in and out to create each of the “bowls” which seem to be sitting on each other. Historically, these are inspired by cooking vessels which were set on top of each other. The bottom section of this jar has angular carved eagle feathers swirling around the piece. They are polished black and the area at the very base is polished a light red. Above the feathers is a checkerboard band representing corn alternating polished deep red and matte. The center band, which Russell said was very difficult to polish, is light red coloration. The top “lobe” or bowl of the jar is polished a very deep red. There are three designs which he has etched to encircle the jar. They range from a koshari to Early San Ildefonso inspired sun and rain designs. Above and below the center band are checkerboard snow patterns in both black and light red. Finally, the neck is polished black and the rim is a deep red. The inside of the rim has been carved with melon style ribs creating Russell’s distinctive “waterfall rim”. There are so many technical aspects to the creation of this jar, from numerous clays to the form itself. However, the final result is visually striking and very unusual. The jar is signed on the base in the clay. Once again Russell harkens to historic San Idlefonso designs and stories and uses them for his own contemporary work.

This is a distinctive shape jar by Russell Sanchez. The jar is wide and with a very flat top. The jar is fully polished and the shoulder of the jar is designed with a checkerboard snow pattern using a mica clay slip. The top is fully stone polished and designed with stylized bird patterns. The birds on this jar certainly have a similarity to those found on Sikyatki pottery, but they are also found on older San Ildefonso pottery as well! The two birds are different and designed with additional patterns for their bodies. The tails of the birds are inset with hematite stones while the center of the bodies have a high-grade Kingman turquoise. As old as the designs are, Russell has presented them in a manner that seems very modern! The lid is highly carved and has “waterfall” ribbed shape with a single piece of turquoise on the top of the lid. The base of the lid is polished with the ribs are slipped with mica. The jar is fired a deep black and the mica squares are very metallic in appearance. There are four inset bands of hei-shi beads around the jar. The bottom of the bowl has the classic indention of traditional San Ildefonso water jars. Russell uses these historic elements to keep them alive on his contemporary pottery. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, ‘Russell”.

Russell Sanchez has found inspiration in the signed historic San Ildefonso pottery for both shapes and designs on his pottery. This unique jar is inspired by a bowl by his great-great-grandmother, Ramona Sanchez Gonzales. In the last photo, the red bowl by Ramona can be seen, with the avanyu in relief on the side. As well, Tony Da made a jar with lizard handles in 1967-8, which is now in the Philbrook Museum (#7095). The black and sienna of the jar and the etched medallions are certainly a reference for Russell’s latest piece. This jar has sienna medallions on each side. They are etched with traditional San Ildefonso birds. Each medallion is surrounded by two bands of hei-shi beads. The handles are in the shape of the avanyu, much as on Ramona’s bowl. The neck of the jar has a cloud pattern and the remainder of the piece is a micaceous clay slip. The lid is fired to a near gunmetal appearance and has a sienna top and a single inset piece of turquoise. The bottom of the jar has a “foot” which is reminiscent of historic San Ildefonso pottery and it is also indented. The hei-shi beads are all made by the Calabaza family from Santo Domingo Pueblo. The jar seamlessly blends the old with the new and creates a new vision of how potters can derive inspiration from the past while creating their own new vessels.

This is a simple but very elegant open bowl by Russell Sanchez. The shape of the bowl is a classic one for San Ildefonso for holding water. The interior of the bowl is fully polished and the rim is carved with 36 melon ribs to create a “water fall” rim. The symmetry of them give the bowl a unique appearance in terms of how the light reflects off the edge. There is almost a silvery-gunmetal appearance to the rim which seems heightened by the deep black interior. The exterior is a highly polished and slipped mica, which has a metallic appearance after the firing. While the bowl may seem simple in form, there is an inherent complexity to having it seem so strong with no design. It is certianly always the challenge to an artist like Russel to restrain themselves and let the clay, form, polish and firing speak for itself. That is the voice given to this bowl. The bowl is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Russell”. Russell uses these historic elements to keep them alive on his contemporary pottery. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, ‘Russell”.

This is a Simple but elegant bowl by Russell Sanchez. He continues to be one of the true innovators in Pueblo pottery. Each piece is perfectly coil built, stone polished and etched. The top of this bowl is carved with hard melon ribs. Each rib extends to the mouth of the piece with a narrow edge. Each rib is stone polished black. The lower sections of the bowl are polished a deep red. Around the side is a checkerboard snow design in black and tan. The deep red color is a revival by Russell as it is the same red clay slip which was used at San Ildefonso in the 1920’s and 30’s. Separating the various bands on the side of the jar is inset hematite hei-shi beads. Note how small they are and the shine! The lid is polished deep red with a single inset band of hei-shi beads. The shape, creative design and highly polished surface are striking on this piece. It is signed on the bottom in the clay.

Spoken Through Clay

A NEW RELEASE SPECIAL: $95.00, including shipping (US)! Check out the new review in the Denver Post!

Just a few things which make this book unique!

* The size! The book is 11.75″ x 14.25″ and weights over 8 pounds!
* The photography of the pottery is stunning, emphasizing the individual pieces.
* Each caption is the artist discussing the individual piece on the page.
* The artist “biographies” are from interviews with the artists and they discuss their art, culture, lives and history.
* Organization: The book is not organized by pueblo or family, but entails new ways to think about the future of Native pottery.
* Printing in Italy gives the book very high quality color and paper.
* The photos of the living artists were taken by Will Wilson using a tin-type process. He was a recipient of the 2107 New Mexico Governor’s Award for the Arts in photography!
* The book features work by more than 30 contemporary potters and more than a dozen important historic potters.
* There are essays by myself, Peter Held and Eric Dobkin. They add to the overall understanding of the project a historic perspective.

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August 18, Pasatiempo Review

“Charles S. King’s new book, Spoken Through Clay:Native Pottery in the Southwest, The Eric S. Dobkin Collection, is spectacularly heavy —which is a problem from a practical standpoint, because once you open it, you won’t want to put it down. With dreamy tintype artist portraits by Diné photographer Will Wilson, dazzlingly crisp images from Addison Doty, and intimate first-person essays written by dozens of artists, the book is a visually delicious, intellectually consuming foray into historic and contemporary Southwestern pottery. In short, prepare to swoon.

If you’re thinking of this as a coffee-table book, you’ll need to imagine a decently sized coffee table. The book is more than a foot tall and, when opened, two feet wide, but its outsize appearance belies the often delicate beauty of its contents: hundreds of individual pieces of pottery from Eric S. Dobkin’s exquisitely curated collection — arguably the largest and most important of its kind. Gallery owner, author, and Pueblo pottery expert King designed Spoken Through Clay to be approachable for those unfamiliar with Native American pottery. “In the age of social media, I wanted to make the book both visually striking and personal,” King said. The book opens with essays by King, Dobkin, and curator Peter Held, who calls clay “the most archival of materials … seductive, sensuous, responsive, geologic, and malleable.”

“I wanted the end result of the book to be that the reader would connect with the artists in a personal way, beyond just the art, and understand the time it takes to become an artist, to achieve success,” King said. Sprawling yet intimate, Spoken Through Clay introduces its readers not just to the beauty of Southwestern pottery but also to the fascinating stories of the people who make it.Iris McLister, Pasatiempo

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“It’s one of the things that makes us who we are. It’s what holds our family together. We are a family of potters. It’s our identity. People don’t realize how much work goes into it just processing the clay and making it. You have to do it with your heart.”—Linda Tafoya-Sanchez

Spoken Through Clay features the pottery of iconic Native American artists from historic potters Nampeyo and Maria Martinez, to contemporary potters Tammy Garcia, Virgil Ortiz, and many others, are featured in a new book published by the Museum of New Mexico Press. Spoken Through Clay: Native Pottery of the Southwest showcases nearly three hundred pottery vessels from the acclaimed Eric S. Dobkin Collection, covering a wide range of mostly Pueblo artists from the Southwest.

“The physical scale of the vessels combined with the depth of the contemporary collection [is] breathtaking,” says author Charles S. King. The book is part of a “transitional process of looking to the clay, the vessel, and the potter’s voice and allowing the pieces to stand on the merit of their artistic integrity.”

The book includes portraits and voices of renowned potters speaking about their artistry and technique, families, culture, and traditions. Many of the artists are connected by Pueblos, generations, or family members. Dynamic color photography captures the depth and dimension of the pieces, while the artists provide an illuminating perspective through narrative captions. Artists, academics, collectors, family members, and gallerists add additional insight about the lives, historical context, and importance of these potters and their work.

SPOKEN THROUGH CLAY Native Pottery of the Southwest The Eric S. Dobkin Collection
By Charles S. King Essay by Peter Held

Artist portraits by Will Wilson
ISBN: 978-0-89013-624-9

352 pages, 320 color plates, 40 artist portraits

Publication Date: August 01, 2017
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Charles S. King is the author of Born of Fire: The Life and Pottery of Margaret Tafoya, The Life and Art of Tony Da, Virgil Ortiz: Revolt 1680/2180, and numerous articles on Pueblo pottery. He has served on boards of art associations, judged pottery at prestigious events, and lectures about the art form. His business King Galleries represents many of today’s leading Native potters and important historic works in clay. Charles lives in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Russell Sanchez (San Ildefonso) and Arthur Lopez (Spanish), have created unique collaborative works for the first time this year. The vessel was made by Russell and stone polished with a black clay. The wood sections were carved by Arthur. After the piece is carved, is covered in gesso (a glue made from rabbit hide) which is allowed to dry and then sanded. It is painted with both natural and water color pigment. Natural colored pigments, such as the brown, are derived from black walnut hulls. Russell uses traditional clay from San Ildefonso, which is then coil built, stone polished and traditionally fired. These are the time involved and historic foundations for this collaboration.

The jar has a black and red polished surface. The neck and base are polished black and there are very classic San Ildefonso style handles. The central band is polished with a deep red clay. There are inset bands of turquoise hei-shi beads. The coloration of the firing of the black is deep and a striking complement to the deep red.

Arthur and Russell said of this jar:

This jar combines to similar concepts, the Immaculate Conception and the pueblo Avanyu. The vessel is a classic San Ildefonso water jar. The black, red and tan are representative of the San Ildefonso polychrome pottery. The jar is a “pot within a pot”, where the outer pot represents the acceptance of the pueblos of Catholicism. People looked at the religion and not how it was forced on the pueblo people. The avanyu (water serpent) encircling the back of the jar is representative of the avanyu as a symbol of cleansing. In a similar manner the wood lid is a representation of the Immaculate Conception. The painted section is painted in a Spanish style and has baby Jesus and a lamb, representing ‘the Lamb of God’. So, much as the, “lamb of God washes away the sins of the world”, the avanyu is a cleansing force in the Pueblo world.